Ten years of Destiny in celebrations & milestones
by elaiel
Summary: Written for the stargateland "Sequence this" challenge "Create 10 drabbles or 10 icons  or a mixture of the two  that go in a sequence"


**Title**: Ten years of Destiny in celebrations and milestones  
><strong>Author<strong>: Elaiel  
><strong>Rating<strong>: PG13  
><strong>Warnings<strong>: None  
><strong>Characters<strong>: Many of the cast  
><strong>Author's notes<strong>: Written for the **stargateland** "Sequence this" challenge. (Look, it's cheerful!) 

**One year later**

Almost exactly a year after they emerge from stasis they have their first marriage. Colonel Young, scrubbed and smart marries Doctor O'Brien and Airman Andreas. The ceremony is held in front of the gate in front of the whole crew with the exception of Camile Wray, Airman Dench and surprisingly Brody and Rush, who volunteer to exchange via the stones so that O'Brien and Andreas' parents can attend the ceremony. There is food and drink, and dried petal confetti, an enormous dress made of shiny bedding fabric and O'Brien and Andreas are ceremoniously moved into joint quarters, the crew carrying all the items from each of their smaller quarters and leaving them in a heap in the middle of the newer, much larger quarters.

**Two years later**

The first baby is born. TJ is surprised that it has taken this long, that the crew had managed to be organised enough to not get themselves pregnant before this. Lisa gives birth to a little girl and it's evidently Greer's though Volker doesn't seem any less happy than Greer. They are mummy, papa and daddy and she is Annabel Destiny Park. TJ is glad for her own sake it's taken this long, time and distance make it easier for her to enjoy the baby shower and manage Lisa's check ups. But she does reflect that she's not getting any younger and maybe she'd like another chance herself.

**Three years later**

They have their first gay marriage. Everyone knows that it won't mean anything if they make it back to Earth, but Ramirez and Carlson have been seeing each other since before everyone went into stasis, and openly a couple for two years. It's Camile who broaches the topic with Young, the need to recognise partnerships here, people needing to designate "next of kin" in case of emergency medical decisions being made, and the fundamental unfairness of the current situation with TJ having to make all the hard ethical decisions on medical treatment. It takes a couple of months of discussion, some hard debates with Homeworld Command, at least one of which ends with Camile and Young telling Homeworld Command they can stuff their homophobic law, and Destiny decide to go their own way on it. And so Ramirez and Carlson marry, in front of the gate, in new shirts and dashing waistcoats made from, as expected, shiny bedding fabric, and there is dried petal confetti and the expected party, and the crew move them into their joint quarters with much celebration.

**Four years later**

Brody and Volker are grinning as they shepherd Chloe and Eli to the Gate room. They've been keeping them busy fixing a secondary console in the Engineering section for half a day while everyone else sets up the party. As Chloe and Eli step through the door, their eyes widening in surprise, Brody and Volker grab the homemade mortar boards proffered by Camile and drop them on their heads.

"Congratulations." Says Rush, not looking at all like the entire science staff, Young and Camile had to bully him into this. He is the senior scientist though and most highly qualified so there's no getting out of it.

Eli gapes like a fish. Chloe takes a deep breath.

"We've had your theses independently assessed..." says Rush

They gawp. Brody tries not to snigger, McKay came via the stones, bitching and complaining and read both, then had another couple of scientists read them, before agreeing with the scientists here. Evidently neither had realised the research projects they had been assigned would be assessed like this, despite the intensive levels of study they've been doing both here and via the stones on Earth. Their work on Earth had also been heavily scrutinised as well, particularly Chloe's new approach to calculating FTL transition times. Technically on Earth they are honorary, but everyone who matters knows they aren't.

"...and it has been agreed that you should be awarded your doctorates."

**Five years later**

Standing alone by the buffet table, Rush looks around the party in the Gateroom. Ten years since they arrived, desperate and scared through the gate. Ten years they have survived, thrived even. Even he recognises this milestone and has chosen to grace the party with his presence. Little Annabel Park is chasing an even tinier Adam Damji-Ross across the floor towards him and automatically he reaches down, catching Adam as he trips, putting the laughing toddler back on his feet. Both look up at him, all grins and wide eyes.

"Dodda Ruff?" lisps Adam.

"Yes Adam?"

He crouches down to their height, smiling despite the fact he knows people are watching, the child's happiness at the party is infectious. He can see Young, laughing at him as he holds the baby while TJ dances.

"Wanna cookie."

He lifts the child up so he can select a cookie from the table and Young raises an eyebrow as he walks over, baby on his hip. Rush lifts Annabel for her cookie and turns to Young.

"I didn't think you'd come." Young says.

Rush shrugs. "Ten years." He says as if it explains everything.

They stand there looking at the children chewing at the cookies. This is their home, they've never known anywhere else, only ever known the seventy people on this ship. They are used to the routine of FTL jumps and stops, trips to planets and intermittent emergencies, the occasional space battle. They can spot people using the stones in seconds just from body language. It's just life to them.

"They changed everything." Says Young as the little pair run on to the makeshift dance floor.

Rush nods, it's true.

**Six years later**

Almost the entirety of Destiny's crew is here, crowding the balcony and stairs of the Gate room as finally the gate grinds into life, the wormhole rushing out then settling. Moments later the first crates begin to bounce through to hushed silence and crew members rush forward to drag them out of the way. The crates are stacked and piled out of the way, over a hundred of them, all full of much needed supplies. It's one way only, but it doesn't make it any less exciting.

The first person steps through the gate, nervous in SGC uniform and after her, over twenty more. It's not lost on anyone that the gender balance of the new arrivals is primarily female, The subject of much heated debate, their continuing failure to find a way to dial home without blowing Destiny to pieces has made it evident that the Destiny community's continued survival is as a colony, families and genetic diversity are a necessity as is a more even gender balance. The knowledge and information about Ancient technology the Destiny crew are able to return to Earth via the stones is making Homeworld Command take them seriously as an outpost and considering the previously unthinkable.

Still Young reflects, as he watches these young women volunteers arrive, the fact the new arrivals are completely aware of the situation, are soldiers and scientists knowingly throwing everything into a new future on Destiny, bringing desperately needed experience, knowledge and skills in many areas as well as themselves, doesn't stop it from feeling a little contrived and sordid.

**Seven years later**

Camille Wray stands in the doorway watching the small class of six four and five year olds at the homemade desks in what has become the new classroom in the last two weeks. It's a characteristically Destiny curriculum that has been planned, English, lots of Maths and Science, Ancient, a little History, hydroponic horticulture and physical education. The teachers vary from subject to subject, but the class is mainly organised by Doctor Damji and Airman Metner and it's Metner she's watching as he reads the version of Red Riding Hood she wrote out to the rapt children. She smiles, watching the children gasp as the big bad wolf eats Grandma, not that any of them know what a wolf is outside of the pictures she drew for the book, or have even met a grandma, but who cares, it's still evidently totally brilliant and she's pleased.

**Eight years later**

Chloe stands on the Bridge. She's far too pregnant to be allowed to be with the first exploration party but she's glued to the kino display. This is it, the final section of the ship to be explored. It's taken almost thirteen years since they first arrived but this is the last part of the ship they haven't accessed.

The damage preventing them accessing this section was massive, a huge hole blown out of Destiny's hull the size of a basketball court, the way in melted slag and no way of entrance. With the other side of the area bordering the sublight drive there had been no way in. Finally they had given up, and fitted a seal to the slagged wall to enable the shuttle to lock on to it. She watches on the kino as the shuttle door opens and in vac suits Brody and Eli cut a hole in the panel of slag, before kicking it and shoving it till it falls in.

They step through. The room is typically Destiny, grey metal walls, bulkheads and white lights, Chloe smiles and watches their progress through the corridors as they begin to explore the last of their home.

**Nine years later **

Another year, another party in the gate room. This one is a little special though as Camile stands at the front of the assembled crew and unrolls the scroll in her hands. Her voice is clear as she reads the document in a clear voice and they all listen to the provisions of their constitution.

As she finishes, there are cheers, and clapping, children waving paper flags and Rush thinks it all feels slightly ridiculous. Important though, this final act of declaring themselves as a community, and it makes him feel pleased that the sum of his life's work has culminated in a community now committed to Destiny.

**Ten years later**

Rush checks the console again, pulling up another read out with his free hand, the power flows had stayed the same. He hitches his drowsy son up on his hip, looking down as the little boy shifts, leaning his head against Rush's chest and putting a thumb in his mouth.

"Are you sure he should be here?" Young asks him, nodding at the little boy and running his fingers through the grey curls that frame his face.

"Ultimately, if this goes wrong, Young," says Rush, "we're all dead no matter where we are on Destiny. If I'm going to die, I'm going to die with my family." He shoots a glance at his wife.

She smiles at him from the console next to him, shaking her long brown hair out of her face and running her hand over his shoulder before going back to work.

Young watches them work, perfectly in step with each other and tries not to listen to the hum of low chatter behind him. There has been much discussion among the crew about the chance of this working and whether it was worth the risk. Seven months work has gone into the planning before finally they came to the point where they had to decide whether to proceed. To the disgust of Homeworld Command, he had decided that considering the dangers it was a decision he could not make for everyone and had held a referendum. The crew had voted, and the overwhelming majority had voted to make the attempt.

After the vote there had been the discussions about the possibility of going home. He knew eight families had already made the decision to stay but it had shocked him that of the 131 crew, 96 adults and 37 children, how few had chosen to leave. Still the other crew members were staunch in their support of the effort.

If all went well, only 28 crew members would be returning to Earth, taking with them data and samples for Homeworld Command.

"We're entering the star." Chloe says from the console.

The ship begins to shudder slightly. Everyone in the gate room looks tense as the gate begins to spin. Young could hear an unfamiliar high pitched whine, looking around he can't place where it comes from but the gate is still turning. He can feel his fingers begin to tingle and realises he is holding his breath.

They all watch as the chevrons encode one by one. A small hand slips into his, and realises his eldest son had snuck in, he ruffles his hair, Rush is right, there's no point in them being anywhere else. The wormhole washes out then settles. He lifts the radio to his lips.

"SGC this is Colonel Everett Young of the Destiny, do you read?"

There is a brief moment's pause.

"Destiny this General Samantha Carter at the SGC, we're ready and waiting. It's good to finally hear you Everett."


End file.
